Chapter 537: If it doesn't shine in the east, it shines in the west

When Zhang Qiang heard Li Long say this, he was really a little panicked.

But looking at the many large brooms piled up in the Li family's courtyard, he felt confident again and sneered:

"Li Long, don't speak so harshly; we all know that you give work to everyone, the team members thank you, you can earn money, and everyone earns money too.

But if there weren't these large brooms tied by the team members, you would also be in trouble. It's fine for you to speak harshly to me for the sake of face now. But when the time comes, if you can't deliver the goods, the one in trouble will be you yourself. You'd better think about it!"

After speaking, Zhang Qiang left.

Li Long sneered and started loading the large brooms collected today.

Li Qing Xia helped on the side. Although he wanted to beat Zhang Qiang up just now, in reality, he was also quite worried. In the old man's view, what Zhang Qiang said made sense; the important thing was to deliver the goods to the superiors. If he couldn't deliver the goods, Li Long would definitely be in trouble.

"Why not give him some money and collect those large brooms?" Li Qing Xia suggested, "Don't give too much, just negotiate with him. We still have ten days or so for this deadline, and the Jiji grass near the team has all been cut, so the brooms everyone can send are limited after all..."

"Old Dad, don't worry about this matter." Li Long waved his hand, "This matter cannot be easily relaxed. Once relaxed, I'll have to do big work every year, carrying poles, large brooms, reed brooms; if Zhang Qiang succeeds this time, someone will definitely follow suit next time, and then I won't be able to earn this money."

The logic is the logic, but the time is almost up.

Li Qing Xia naturally didn't know that the time Li Long told Xu Chengjun was ten days earlier than the final time set by the supply and marketing cooperative.

So Li Long still had enough time to deal with this matter. It's just that Zhang Qiang didn't know, and Xu Chengjun didn't know.

That evening, two people came to Zhang Qiang's house, looked at the large brooms piled up like a mountain in the courtyard, and these two people smiled and went into the house.

"Old Zhang, you were quite impressive this time." The leader praised Zhang Qiang as soon as he entered the house, "How is it, did that Li Long soften up?"

"He didn't soften up, but it doesn't matter." In front of outsiders, Zhang Qiang was still very tough, "There are seven or eight days left until the deadline.

Now these people in the team can tie a hundred brooms a day at most; he's still far from the deadline! I don't believe he dares to take these large brooms to supply the supply and marketing cooperative! He won't even have to do the work behind it!"

"That's it then." The other person smiled happily.

"Then you also have to be careful that he finds people from other villages to do the work." The person who spoke first said.

Zhang Qiang sneered and said:

"He only has acquaintances in a few small teams of our brigade. Outside our brigade, who in other brigades in the township knows him? Let alone knowing him, even people who know his brother are few!"

"This work requires capital; it's not like you just say it with your mouth and they do it for you. The Jiji grass near our brigade has all been cut by people, so even if he finds other villages, they have to be able to conjure up Jiji grass for him."

When he said this, the two people nodded repeatedly.

That's the logic.

These two people chatted for a while and left.

After leaving the Zhang house, one person said:

"Second Brother, this time, that Li Long should definitely lose money, right?"

"That's hard to say. But Old Third, let's watch first. Whether Li Long suffers or this Zhang Qiang suffers, it's not a good thing for Li Long. The more enemies he makes, the more likely he will have trouble in the future.

You remember, we'll just fan the flames from behind, don't ever come out and face him directly. This Li Long is not simple; maybe he has other ways to turn the tables."

"Second Brother, I know."

The two people talking were Hu Lao Er and Hu Ma Lao San.

Last year, because of the reed broom incident, they both lost quite a bit of money because they were playing smart, and they were considered to have formed a feud with Li Long.

This time, Hu Lao Er had been watching the large broom matter early on, and then fanned the flames at Zhang Qiang's place, and also helped Zhang Qiang instigate some wavering people in the team to send large brooms to Zhang Qiang's place.

When Zhang Qiang didn't have enough money later, he borrowed from the two of them; they cried poor there, saying that the accounts lost last year hadn't been paid off today, otherwise how could they hate Li Long so much?

Zhang Qiang believed it.

Without these two instigating, Zhang Qiang couldn't have been so firm.

Of course, Zhang Qiang said he would share some benefits with them afterwards, just listen to it.

Li Long pulled a cart of large brooms and left, returned to the big courtyard, unloaded the large brooms, and arranged them well. These past two days, he hadn't driven the deer out for air, mainly because he was afraid of damaging the large brooms.

He didn't tell Gu Xiaoxia about Zhang Qiang's matter, but he did discuss the deer matter.

After this large broom matter was finished, he would pull the deer to the horse corral. Mainly because after this thing grew bigger, it became fiercer. Gu Xiaoxia was also worried that when her colleague's children came to play, if they were really bumped or kicked by the deer, they wouldn't be able to take it.

The next morning, Gu Xiaoxia went to work, and Li Long drove the tractor towards the mountains.

The poles pulled back weren't used up, mainly because there weren't enough large brooms. Now, every day when large brooms were collected, Li Qing Xia was there using poles to poke them. Li Long joked with the old man, saying that one pole was ten cents, and it had to be sturdy, otherwise money would be deducted.

Li Qing Xia was just worrying about not being able to catch fish and having nothing to do, so he happily accepted this "task".

The tractor drove to Qingshuihe Township, and Li Long didn't continue driving forward; he stopped.

His tractor went in and out of the mountains, and the people in Qingshuihe Township were really very familiar with it. This tractor stopped suddenly, and some people curiously gathered around.

There were few tractors in Qingshuihe Township, and it was close to the mountains; there were many hills and Gobi here, and the good farmland that could be reclaimed was few, so it was relatively poor.

Don't look at it being close to the mountains, because there were wolves, and now there was a forestry team, so not many people went into the mountains. At most, like Li Long the winter before last, they went into the mountains in winter to pull some wood.

As for hunting, basically no one did it.

After all, if you hadn't fought, you really didn't have that technique. Li Long also followed half-baked people like Yushanjiang and Halimu, plus some experience from the internet in later generations, so he dared to do it.

Seeing someone approaching, Li Long got off the tractor, took out cigarettes to hand over, and asked proactively:

"Old Brother, where is the brigade headquarters?"

"Over there. What, do you have business?"

"Yes. Old Brother, do you know how to tie large brooms?"

"Jiji large brooms? I know, it's not any technical work."

"Are there many people near you who know how?" Li Long asked about this area. This was Qingshuihe Township, which used to be the gathering place of the commune, and there was a village here. Other villages were scattered in various places, and the distance was still quite far.

"That's about it, every family knows." That old brother looked to be about forty years old, took the cigarette but didn't smoke, put it in front of his nose and smelled it; it was quite rare.

"I want to collect large brooms, two-fifty for one, does anyone sell them?"

"Two-fifty? Are you really collecting?" That person widened his eyes, "Don't be joking, right?"

"How can I be joking? You tie them today, and I'll come to collect them tomorrow." Li Long said with a smile, "Of course, there are conditions."

"What conditions?" That person had an expression of "I knew there wouldn't be such a good thing."

"The large broom must be tied tightly, the pole must be 1.5 meters long, the Jiji grass must not be shorter than 1.2 meters, and the sides must be surrounded by red willow branches..."

"That's nothing? Isn't that how large brooms are usually tied?" That old brother's expression relaxed when he heard this, "Are you really collecting?"

"You take me to the brigade headquarters; I want to collect a lot, thousands of them." Li Long said, "You alone can't tie them all."

Now the retail price of large brooms on the market is three to three-fifty, but someone sells them, and few people buy them.

After all, rural areas basically know how to tie them, and they don't need to buy them if they tie them themselves. Units in the city are all issued them, uniformly purchased from the supply and marketing cooperative. Retail sales are all aimed at urban families with large courtyards.

After all, small courtyards don't need large brooms at all, and they can't be spread out.

Plus Maxian itself has few people in the county, the market is not big, and large brooms are relatively durable, so the whole market has one broom seller, barely able to earn money. If there are two, it's not certain they can survive.

That old brother took Li Long to the brigade headquarters with half-belief. Now the wheat has been harvested, and the corn, oil sunflower, and flax haven't ripened yet, so it's relatively idle.

"Team Leader, someone is looking for you, saying they want to collect large brooms." That old brother didn't wait for Li Long to speak and directly said his business.

"You want to collect large brooms?" That team leader looked at Li Long and always felt a little familiar.

"I am Li Long from the county supply and marketing cooperative." Li Long took out his work permit and handed it over, "Recently the supply and marketing cooperative needs a batch of large brooms, and I want to order a portion from your village."

Taking the work permit, the village head glanced at it and suddenly remembered:

"You are that... Li Long who was in the Autonomous Region Daily and was also commended?"

"Hmm, it's me." Li Long didn't expect this team leader to know about his affairs, and he was quite happy in his heart. Since he knew, this matter would be easier to do. Doing this for strangers would definitely have concerns in the team, but doing it for people who knew him would be relatively easy.

"Ordering large brooms?" The team leader returned the work permit to Li Long and asked while pouring water, "What specifications, what price?"

"Just now this old brother asked, and I said it. Two-fifty for one, pole 1.5 meters, Jiji grass 1.2 meters, reinforced with red willow around, surrounded by rope..." The team leader listened and calculated in his mind.

The requirements for this large broom are not difficult; it's actually easy to tie them up. However, he was thinking about whether the team could get some benefits.

But that old brother was here, and the team leader couldn't say it.

He thought for a while and said to that old brother:

"Changgui, you go tell my family, slaughter a chicken at noon, I have to entertain this Comrade Li Long."

That Changgui didn't want to leave, but the team leader spoke, so he had to leave, and before leaving, he said to the team leader:

"Team Leader, definitely agree to it, I'll go back and tie them after I finish talking here!"

After Changgui left, the team leader thought for a while and asked:

"Comrade Li Long, how many large brooms do you need?"

"One thousand in the initial stage, and then look at the situation." Li Long couldn't say it for sure; it was hard to say whether there would be any turn for the better for the two thousand plus brooms at Zhang Qiang's place. After all, they were all from the same brigade, and he didn't want to do it too absolutely; of course, the other party had to bow their head.

"One thousand..." The team leader pondered.

"Team Leader, you can notify them to try first. I will come to accept the first batch tomorrow or the day after tomorrow; you can let everyone send the tied brooms over, and you can accept them here first. I'll give you ten cents of inspection fee for one large broom, how about that?"

!.

When Li Long said this, the team leader smiled:

"I don't have anything myself, but our team can't get any benefits from this matter."

"If the first batch is qualified and can be finished within five days, then I will give the team one hundred yuan separately afterwards—this can't be more."

"Okay!" The team leader made the decision, "Five days, right? With this weather, Jiji can be dried in two or three days, and after that, start working, five days, hmm, about the same!"

"I'll come to collect the first batch tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." Li Long said, "I hope the team leader will definitely check strictly!"

"Then Comrade Li Long, you have to leave a note." The team leader also handled things quite rigorously.

"Okay." Li Long wrote a note and signed his name. The note explained that he wanted to collect one thousand brooms in Qingshuihe Village, with a deadline of five days later, with a specific time.

The team leader took the note and turned on the loudspeaker to shout. Li Long wanted to leave but was kept by the team leader.

The chicken had been slaughtered, so it couldn't be slaughtered in vain.

Just for the ten cents inspection fee for one large broom that Li Long gave him separately, this chicken had to be eaten!

Li Long had no choice but to stay. Once the loudspeaker was turned on, the village began to boil.

How long had it been since such a good thing happened in the village?

Every household started to move; those with tools were happy and went directly to the red willow beach outside to cut Jiji and red willow, and those without tools went to nearby villages to borrow them.

The reason Li Long wanted to find them here was because there was a lot of Jiji grass nearby. There was quite a lot of Jiji grass growing in this red willow beach, and in later generations, it was a place that broom-tying families liked to visit.

As Zhang Qiang said, the Jiji grass near the Fourth Team and Third Team had been cut early by the people of the Fourth Team. If they wanted to tie large brooms, they could only go to further places.

To the north, there were two townships on the edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert, where there was also a lot of Jiji grass; not only was there Jiji grass, but there was also a large amount of red willow and saxaul.

But going north was too far, and Li Long didn't want to go. Now going south was convenient, so it was just right here.

At noon, he ate a meal of stir-fried chicken, and the team leader also persuaded Li Long to drink two cups, but was refused by Li Long; after all, he had to drive the tractor, and there was no negotiation on this matter.

What surprised Li Long a little was that just after the meal was finished, someone sent the first large broom.

The tassels of the Jiji grass on the broom hadn't been burned off yet, but overall, it looked very standard.

Li Long pulled the Jiji on it, and it was also very sturdy, meeting the requirements.

On the spot, Li Long gave that person two yuan and fifty cents.

That person left happily. Li Long took out another ten cents and put it on the table; this meant that whether the team leader checked it or not, this ten cents inspection fee had to be given.

The team leader was naturally very happy too.

That's how dealings are made.

Li Long drove the tractor into the mountains. When he left, the team leader asked him when he entered the mountains, and Li Long said there were still some things in the mountains that needed to be pulled back.

Naturally, he went to pull poles.

The three thousand poles that Halimu and the others cut were not enough. Now it was good; if Zhang Qiang insisted on doing that, Li Long really wouldn't want those brooms, and the brooms he ordered in Qingshuihe, people even prepared the poles themselves!

Can a living person be suffocated by urine?

No.

Arriving at the wooden house, Li Long was a little surprised to find that there were quite a few more poles here.

He sighed. Needless to say, this must have been cut by Halimu and the others in their spare time.

Don't worry about that, pull them and leave first.

He still wanted to rush back to the big courtyard today.

Busy all day, life was almost not lived.

What life? Hmm.

Pulled a cart of poles and ran down the mountain with a "chug-chug-chug" sound, and was stopped again when arriving at Qingshuihe Village.

The villagers took the large brooms and wanted Li Long to collect them.

Li Long had no choice but to go to the brigade headquarters and, in front of the team leader, checked those large brooms.

Sixteen brooms, two were unqualified, one had a short pole, and one wasn't tied with rope.

These were all small things, just go back and change them.

Paid the money, sent the people away, and Li Long gave the team leader another one yuan and forty cents.

The team leader was embarrassed to accept it and said to Li Long:

"Comrade Li, how about collecting this inspection fee together at the end?"

"Okay." The team leader was reasonable, and Li Long was also happy. He took money out of his pocket, counted forty-eight yuan and fifty cents, and handed it to the team leader:

"Team Leader, plus the one yuan and forty cents this time and the ten cents at noon, it adds up to fifty yuan. Pay half first, and pay the other half after one thousand are finished."

"Okay!" Seeing Li Long being so reasonable, he also said, "Next, I will check the brooms sent by everyone first; don't worry, absolutely strict!"

Li Long wanted this word from him, chatted for two more sentences, and drove the tractor away.

Qingshuihe didn't have any special products, nor did it have any industry, and in terms of economy, it really wasn't as good as the few townships below that had large tracts of land.

Being able to collect fifty yuan at once, the team leader was also quite happy, so he naturally used his heart to check the large brooms.

Li Long had only left for a few minutes when someone sent large brooms over. The team leader said the person had left, and those people were a little unhappy.

The team leader let them leave the large brooms for him to check, picked out a few unqualified ones, let them go back to rectify, and there was one that was purely fooling around, the Jiji grass could be pulled out, and the team leader scolded him.

Now it spread in the village that large brooms had to be tied well, otherwise the team leader would scold them.

Li Long pulled the poles to the big courtyard, and the sky hadn't darkened yet.

He unloaded a few brooms, didn't unload the poles, and planned to pull them directly to the team early tomorrow morning.

Anyway, the team could still collect some large brooms one after another, and poles were naturally still needed.

Of course, as for Zhang Qiang's side, Li Long wouldn't care. Since there was already a second road, and it was so easy to walk, who would still be wronged and seek perfection, right?

When Gu Xiaoxia came back, she was holding a newspaper, smiling.

Li Long helped support the bicycle and asked:

"Why so happy?"

"You're in the newspaper again this time!" Gu Xiaoxia placed the newspaper in front of Li Long and said, "Autonomous Region Daily, it's about you, the model of ethnic unity, helping ethnic brothers cut grass; they praised you so well..."

"Hehe, let me see." Li Long took the newspaper and read it.

The names of correspondents Ma Xiao Yan and Ye Laya were at the back.

Not bad, Li Long knew that Ma Xiao Yan should be commended this time. After all, being able to be in the Autonomous Region Daily was absolutely not simple. Zhang Xin Hua was a reporter for the Daily himself, so writing it was fine.

Ma Xiao Yan was in the newspaper by her own ability, which was really not simple.

However, the most not simple was himself, Li Long thought proudly. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 538 =====